Lizards survive in the desert because they have many adaptations as reptiles that help them to avoid the extreme heat during the day, the extreme cold during the night and keep moist despite the dry weather. In order to defend themselves, desert lizards have evolved defenses. Lizards accomplish that through a variety of mechanisms that negate the heat, regulate their body temperature and provide the means to survive. Others eat plants. During these times, lizards typically live in burrows, surviving off the water and nutrients already in their systems. In the Desert A number of … Lizards appear on the menu for a wide variety of animals, including snakes, dingos, coyotes, some birds and even other lizards. The few lizards that do survive there seem to be primarily iguanids such as the Microlophus atacamensis or Atacama Lava Lizard which is fairly common in the desert near the coastline. When the desert becomes extremely hot, lizards resort to estivation, meaning a period of inactivity. Lizards are cold blooded reptiles, and as such, if the desert heat increases intensely, they will burn to death. Other lizards prey on other organisms and absorb their nutrients. They go without much water and food and their breathing and heart rates slow down. Lizards cannot survive long periods of cold weather, so they do not live in polar regions. For this reason, they’ve evolved to develop a variety of methods to survive dangerous situations. TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read) Lizards can shift their color and behavior patterns to regulate their body temperature in the desert, and have also evolved ways to move quickly in the sand. Lizards also hibernate during the desert winters, when the temperatures do not rise enough for them to maintain temperatures high enough for activity. Some desert lizards store food in ways similar to that of a camel (see leopard geckos). Because a desert is an arid climate with intense heat that lizards need to survive. Some types of lizards are kept as pets, either confined in terrariums or allowed to run free to aid in keeping down populations of insect or rodent pests.